Holden’s factory has shut — but you can still buy the best Commodore ever built

The Commodore that arrived four years ago, the VF/VFII series, is arguably the finest car manufactured here. There are thousands of used examples around

It’s better to go out with a bang than a whimper and Holden’s Commodore VF — the final locally manufactured example — is a gem we should genuinely feel sorry to see go. For those looking at a used example, there are thousands for sale.

The preceding Commodore VE (2006-13) was no bad thing but in May 2013 the VF landed with sharper style, equipment and price.

Comfort and roadholding also were top-drawer for a large car and there were no duds in the long line-up of model grades.

We’ll exclude the Commodore ute, so your VF could come as a four-door sedan or five-door wagon, with genuine space for five adults.

Commodore VFII Sportwagon

The auto-only Evoke kicked off the range with a 185kW 3.0-litre V6 or 180kW 3.6-litre V6 with LPG vapour injection.

The latter was available in the SV6 alongside a more powerful 210kW version, as also used in the Calais.

A thumping 270kW 6.0-litre V8 mated to a six-speed manual came with the SS, SS-V and SS-V Redline, or 260kW if you optioned an auto transmission or bought the luxury Caprice version. A limited-slip differential was standard on SV6 manuals and all V8s bar the Calais.

This Commodore range was cheaper than the predecessors yet specification was generous. As standard, all had Auto Park Assist for parallel and right angle parking, rear camera, eight-inch colour touchscreen with MyLink app technology, Siri Eyes Free, voice recognition, alloy wheels and dual-zone climate control.

The SV6 and SS grades added sports styling and sport seats, 18-inch alloys, daytime running lights and safety gear such as blind-spot alert and reverse traffic alert.

The SS-V brought leather trim, 19-inch wheels, fog lamps, colour digital instrument display, satnav and DVD player. The hot-dog SS-V Redline added Brembo brakes, head-up display, more active safety and Bose audio.

Calais shoppers enjoyed a tad more luxury and chrome, including power heated seats for the Calais V with V8. The Sportwagon body added $2000 to the bill; auto gearboxes were an extra $2200.

In October 2014 the MY15 Commodore gained a new steering calibration and better reversing camera but the big change came in October 2015 with the VFII update, giving us the most powerful and quickest Commodore.

Commodore VFII SS-V

All V8 models now featured a mighty 6.2-litre LS3 engine — taken from the Chevrolet Corvette no less — delivering 304kW and 570Nm to help hit 100km/h in 4.9 seconds.

The VFII had a new nose, bonnet vents, different lights and wheels, revised local chassis tuning and a bi-modal exhaust to release the beast from that V8. Special editions were common. Look out for Storm, Craig Lowndes Edition, Lightning and Black specials.

Cabins were vast and comfy, and the wagon’s boot huge, although some interior plastics felt cheap. The drive experience and steering were excellent, and that old-school V8 grunt for not much money reminds us why we love and will miss these things.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Commodore SS-V cockpit

You can pick up leggy VF Evokes from $12,000 today, while anything with a V8 starts from $25K. Still a lot of late-model rear-drive performance fun for your dollars.

There have been numerous recalls, mainly minor, with LPG engines offending most often. View productsafety.gov.au to check VIN plates of potential purchases, and make sure all recall work has been performed.

A much-reported problem with the 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6 direct injection engines is carbon build-up, leading to starting problems, misfires and excessive oil consumption.

Among other common complaints are issues with power steering and heating, ventilation, airconditioning, so focus on these when shopping.

Be realistic with fuel economy figures too. These are big heavy cars with old-school non-turbo engine tech, so they like a drink. Especially those V8s.

Many VFs will be out of Holden’s three-year warranty period. Plenty will have been used as fleet vehicles and perhaps not well looked after, so be as wary of these as some of those V8s have endured a tough life as hoon specials.

IAIN SAYS 4 STARS

Feeling patriotic? The Commodore VF is arguably the finest car Australia has produced, with Holden nailing it just as, tragically, the fat lady has sung. With so many VFs on the market you should easily be able to find a good one and they look terrific homegrown value. Spacious, well-equipped, rear-drive and, should you fancy, with V8 goodness.

OWNERS SAY

Alan King: Our VF Calais is three years old. Nice car — no warranty work — and it returns about 7.0L/100km on the highway, cheap to service compared with Euro cars. If it had a Mercedes star on the front it would cost $40K more. The VF followed a VE owned for eight years, also a good car.

Joe Sinopoli: My 2014 VF Calais V has been fantastic so far, servicing costs are reasonable and tech inside is great for its price range. The most enjoyment we get from it is when we head out on weekends for a long comfortable drive.

 

AT A GLANCE

COMMODORE VF 2013-17

PRICE NEW $34,990-$58,190

NOW $12,000-$60,000

SAFETY 5 stars

ENGINES 3.6-litre V6, 180kW/320Nm (LPG) or 210kW/350Nm; 3.0-litre V6, 185kW/290Nm; 6.0-litre V8, 270kW/530Nm (auto 260kW/517Nm); 6.2-litre V8, 304kW/570Nm

TRANSMISSION

6-speed man, 6-speed auto; RWD

THIRST 8.3L-12.6L/100km

THE EXPERTS SAY

The facelifted VF series Commodore took the highly regarded VE platform and removed a lot of weight to save fuel. There have been eight recalls for the VF and VFII, three of which applied to LPG models only. Other fixes were for seats, pre-tensioners, airbags and wiper motor.

Holden sold about 100,000 Commodores of this series, with the V8-powered performance models, including those from HSV, being quite popular. That said, the SV6 has been consistently the top-selling model from new.

The basic Evoke sedan from 2013 ($34,990 new) will fetch $16,400 for a vehicle in good condition having done 15,000km a year. The top of the range 2013 SS Redline V8 manual sedan ($51,490 new) is $37,100 now.

Resale for the Commodore from 2013 is generally stronger than the Ford Falcon and Toyota Aurion. Very high demand for used V8s in this class maintains the premium for Commodore and Falcon versions alike.